CHICAGO – In one of the more truthful and contemporary films of 2017, “In the Fade” is a German/French production about the fallout due to a terrorist act. What it also emphasizes is the generated hatred, frustration and waste of such acts, and its textual story is stunning and distressing.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Diane Kruger portrays the victim of terrorism in the film. She is an international actor who has appeared in American films (“Inglourious Basterds,” “National Treasure”) and completely owns the tenor of what happens in this period of her character’s life. It is a classic collaboration between her and the director/co-writer Fatih Akin, running through a horrid laundry list of dreaded emotional reactions, while also expressing the toughness and need-for-help that is necessary to survive. As a statement about terrorism, it is an ultimate one in a sense, as to where we will all end up if it continues. This film will both make you think and possibly elicit a call to change within that thought process.

Katja (Kruger) is a German woman who has married a Turkish immigrant (Numan Acar). They have a son (Rafael Santana), and are rehabilitating their past lives, which involved drugs and prison time. Katja’s existence is shattered when a bomb is set off in front of her husband’s place of employment, and both her husband and son are killed.

Her victimhood is set against a series of attempts to come back the world. She does revert back to self medication through drugs, and her lawyer (Denis Moschitto) prepares the case against the alleged terrorists, a couple linked to Neo Nazis. But there is something else that Katja wants to do, and it involves her own investigation and action.

”In the Fade” continues its limited release in Chicago on January 19th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Diane Kruger, Numan Acar, Denis Moschitto, Samia Muriel Chancrin and Rafael Santana. Written by Fatih Akin and Hark Bohm. Directed by Fatih Akin. Rated “R”

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